Can I turn off Smart Stack on my Apple Watch?

Hi Apple Devs,

The Smart Stack feature doesn’t serve any real purpose and can be frustrating—it activates with just a slight touch of the crown, often when I’m simply moving my hand.

I value my Apple Watch for its watch faces; that’s the experience I bought it for. I don’t want or need the Smart Stack.

Please consider adding an option in the next update to turn this feature off entirely, giving users the choice to disable features they don’t find useful.

And, if I may suggest, it’s best to avoid forcing “innovations” on users. Letting the user decide what’s useful by including an “always off” option would greatly enhance the user experience.

Thank you.

Best regards,

C

You can adjust the Digital Crown settings in your Apple Watch settings, but there's no option to completely disable Smart Stack. If you're accidentally activating it, consider changing the watch position or using a case to minimize accidental touches.

Sorry, but Apple can not be reached by posting in these user to user communities.

But, if you want changes in an upcoming watchOS, let Apple know directly by using the Feedback link:

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

The more users send their thoughts about this topic, using the feedback, the more likely it will be, that Apple reacts on this in upcoming updates.

Sorry, the Smart Stack can no be disabled.

You can turn off the Live Activities and delete the widgets, but the one showing time and date can not be removed.

If you want changes in an upcoming watchOS, let Apple know directly by using the Feedback link:

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

Wear the Apple Watch with the Digital Crown facing towards your elbow. Then use Apple Watch -> Settings-> General-> Orientation to get the watch face so it is useful to you.

1 year later, still trying to find its purpose... imagine having to press the power button on iPhone to open control centre, simply ridiculous, and the feedback thing is like a diary, no one ever reads it or acts on it...

I think smart stack is a GREAT feature; I use it multiple times every day. And with the latest update I can open it by just tapping two fingers together.

In general, Apple is not big on options. Probably because if you added options everywhere people think they want them the Settings app would grow by an order of magnitude. As it is, with each update it gets harder to find the option you are looking for in Settings.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

I think smart stack is a GREAT feature; I use it multiple times every day. And with the latest update I can open it by just tapping two fingers together.

Do you mean tapping thumb and forefinger?

lvdata wrote:

My watch faces have disappeRed and all I get all smart stacks it makes my watch faces I took hours to setup worthless. The “smart” stack is in my way, and I MUCH prefer watchios 10x

The Smart Stack doesn't remove the watch faces. If you have inadvertently activated it, just swipe down and it will be hidden again.

I think you’re seeing Smart Stack “suggestions” even though it’s not labeled that way. I went through this myself googling a fix. I disabled the Smart Stack options in the first watch app, but the nail in the coffin is done ON the watch.

Scroll the crown to show the Smart Stack widgets, then tap and hold any one of them. You’ll see the option to disable the “widget suggestions”. That did it for me in addition to the app setting.

Wear the Apple Watch with the Digital Crown facing towards your elbow. Then use Apple Match-> Settings-> General-> Orientation to get the watch face so it is useful to you.

When a user needs to do a procedure as described, because the company refuses to do a simple “turn off option” you can consider the product failed.

I wonder how many reports are already sent by now

eliezailah96 wrote:

I wonder how many reports are already sent by now

Probably not very many.